00:00.16 Alex Zooareology this is episode 62 the creatures of medieval maps and bciaries I'm your host a fitzpatrick and with me as always so today's gonna be a bit different than our usual episodes. So. 00:11.50 Cpt Granarius Sibona fallanga. 00:19.24 Alex Less about animal bones. Although I guess there's a lot of episodes we do that aren't really about Admir bones. So not that different than some of our other episodes I guess. 00:31.40 Cpt Granarius That's right people come here for the animal bones and they stay for the video games and just miscellaneous animals. 00:37.14 Alex Yeah, so today is going to be 1 of those days although not about video games so less about animal bones and remains and more about kind of how animals were viewed and described in the past which is you know, obviously still quite important. Due to its implications for how animals would obviously be treated in the past as well. 01:01.75 Cpt Granarius Um, yes, and I mean um, we have to bear in mind as well that both of the maps and beast cherries that we'll be covering ah especially in the medieval period are useful reflections of an intensely religious world that was also grappling with their understanding of natural history. So. It's also like interesting to see how these 2 things come together. 01:22.17 Alex Yeah, so you have medieval maps which were mainly sketches produced for a particular occasion or reason instead of kind of a general reference map. So like what we normally would think of when we think of maps. 01:28.30 Cpt Granarius Yeah. 01:41.85 Alex You know they were basically single purpose in use. So for example, ah for maybe a specific navigator or for a scholar that's trying to learn about a foreign land and its customs. So this was especially used for regions of interest at the time such as the Middle East and Asia. 02:03.89 Cpt Granarius And also the thing with Medieval maps is that the East tended to be at the top rather than the north with jerusalem depicted at at this as the center for reasons you could all guess um. 02:04.43 Alex Um. 02:16.97 Cpt Granarius The the importance of the east in this case was sort of twofold because not only ah, that was where the sun would rise but it was also where medieval christian looked for the return of Jesus Christ 02:30.40 Alex And then of course you have maybe what other people really think about if we talk about you know older ah more historical maps in this case which are you know so maps that depict the sea and. These were often illustrated with various sea creatures and Monsters. You know likely reflecting the vast unexplored nature of the oceans at the time now most of these maps were usually just for display by wealthy people with depictions of creatures often informed By. Stories from you know, otherwise uneducated sailors but actually oh. 03:08.68 Cpt Granarius So I'm sorry we can actually sorry we can actually carry on our saga of like wealthy people showing off their collections because I believe many episodes ago we had 1 of like ah that had accumulated a range of various sort of exotic. It ah underlined with inverted Commerce several times foul. It was sort like would like to go hand for that foul collection. 03:29.80 Alex Ah, oh yes, of course, yes, definitely just kind of it's less about the accuracy and more about some real collector mentality I guess but interestingly even though. You know we think about sea monsters in these maps that were primarily hoarded and kept and displayed by wealthy people. The sea monsters would actually begin to disappear from maps starting with the eighteenth century due to better understandings of oceanic navigation. Illustrations were then actually used for more useful things such as good fishing areas. So there'd be like several fish depicted where those places were found or places of safe passage where you'd usually see like ah you know a. Ship that's looking very nice and kind of passing through so you knew that you weren't going to probably get into a shipwreck if you sail there. 04:28.20 Cpt Granarius So it's safe to say that as time goes by maps become increasingly more utilitarian in function. Um, and of course the type of maps that we'll be discussing in this episode in particular are the mapimundi which are a ah specific type of Medieval European maps. 04:30.94 Alex Yeah, so. 04:44.46 Cpt Granarius Actually they pictureted the entire world hence the name maphamundibing map of the world. Ah, or at least the world through the lens of a medieval european obviously um, which they didn't tend to be just about the geography per se but ah, they were also portraying information about sort of spirituality in folklore. Um, and often depict the world post great flood. So showcasing the 3 continents that were founded by Noah Suns in the form of a wheel which are also known as a t and an om map as it often deficts a wheel or o shape with a t shape inside of it. Um, of course the region's included at. The time would have pretty much equated to Europe Asia and North Africa um what's interesting that there were absolutely loads of the map and we still about have about 1100 surviving today. 05:35.13 Alex Yeah, it's pretty good I would have assumed there was a lot less to be honest. 05:40.53 Cpt Granarius Just how how does paper keep that long. 05:46.40 Alex Yeah I mean we'll we'll get into it but when I was kind of doing some of the research for this I realized a lot of the kind of maps. We still have some of them are kept at 1 of my old workplaces the jp ah morgan library museum. 05:54.70 Cpt Granarius Um, and. 06:03.57 Alex And I do know that that it's a really intense ah conservation lab there because they I do believe we we still have or at the time when I was working there. We had 1 of the gutenberg bibles. So There's loads of very fragile materials there. Um. So yeah, it would have to probably need a pretty intense conservation for that. 06:26.29 Cpt Granarius Of course think as paper is a nightmare So like the fact that they're being preserved now I can see because we have the knowledge and the science behind it that how did that piece of paper make it in all of those centuries where. Conservation Techniques weren't exactly a thing just but um, yeah. 06:44.51 Alex Oh for sure. Yeah, and I mean I think unfortunately I guess some of it probably is because a lot of these things were hoarded by wealthy people that have the resources at the time to you know, make sure that they weren't or as as well kept as they could be at the time which is probably I mean it's kind of why. Some of these fall into Museums private collections and things like that. But yeah I mean it is really impressive. How many do survive today. 07:13.12 Cpt Granarius Um, of course another sort of would will say topic that we'll be covering are as the title Medieval Beast cherries which is quite literally. It's ah it's a book of beasts. Ah, which includes various details of animals such as description of their physical appearance. Their behavior their habits so essentially is an early resource for natural history or a close approximation to that for the time period. 07:39.90 Alex So. 07:44.60 Cpt Granarius Depending on the beast cheries ah is this yes said the degrees of closeness to um, actual natural history is a variable. We'll say um as these also tended to include moral lessons emolding said Animals. So I guess in a way like the creature was used as a. Parable Almost um as it was believed at the time. Ah that all of nature was designed by God to instruct humans on how to live and therefore each animal at its own lesson to impart on humans. Um, these animals do tend to range from the real to fictional. Ah, in order to reflect the diversity of the natural world given to use by god. 08:28.10 Alex And the origins can actually be traced even longer before the bciary potentially to a second century ancient Greek text called the thank you. 08:42.19 Cpt Granarius Physiologus. 08:44.69 Alex Which described animals trees and rocks and interpreted them as a reflection of Christian Christianity and this was actually built on by isador of Seville who was the archbishop of Seville during the eleventh century with a text called the etymologies this would become one of the most. Popular encyclopedias during the early medieval period and covered over two hundred and fifty animals and provided ample information regarding the you know etymology of word hence the title etomologies also established a series of categories that would. Eventually be used by most b series moving forward so you have your land animals your birds your serpents and your sea creatures. 09:27.39 Cpt Granarius And beast juries from the Twelfth Century Onwards would mostly take form of illuminated manuscripts where the text is actually accompanied by elaborate illustrations which look them up. They are fantastic in either really great ways or just really confusing. 09:44.72 Alex And I I think we've actually touched upon bestiearies in the past I mean it's hard I think it's hard not to especially when you start talking about animals and how animals were perceived when you get to like the early medieval period. 09:46.41 Cpt Granarius Ways. 10:02.90 Alex Because they did really you know strengthen it not really strengthens. Not really the word because a lot of it was wrong, but it did support current ideas of certain animals at the time, especially the quote unquote exotics that were being shipped In. You know or seen and reported back by other people. 10:22.76 Cpt Granarius But ultimately the mundane as well because what's with the snails. What with all the all the fighting snails snails riding cap cats riding snails into battle. 10:29.45 Alex Ah, they love snails. 10:38.30 Alex I mean I think that's its own thing like there's a there's something behind the snail obsession that I don't know if people have been able to academically ah reflect upon or critically agoize. It's everywhere isn't it. 10:53.90 Cpt Granarius I'll give my unprofessional hot take that was just a monk doodling because he got bored and then he just caught on. 10:54.55 Alex Okay. 11:00.70 archpodnet I Think you know snails nowadays are pretty like in the in the zone of like I don't know memes like I definitely have seen like a gif of this like Snail who gets like a jetpack and like flies away and I've definitely seen like. 11:00.78 Alex Just that one. Oh. 11:20.12 archpodnet Memes with snails. So I think there's actually something kind of there. Do you know what? I mean but with a modern I think there's modern appreciation of snails and not just by the french. 11:25.66 Alex I mean. 11:27.46 Cpt Granarius Medieval meme. 11:32.61 Alex A a here a show is not just the specific part of the internet that you haven't. 11:39.58 archpodnet What like snail Twitter sorry snail x no, it's not I'm not and I'm not specifically interested in snails I just know that like snails are like enjoyed you know like they're not like they're not like dogs and cats. 11:54.19 Alex Appreciate it. 11:59.31 archpodnet But like you know there's I think there's snail memes. Okay I'm just saying there are snail memes and all you're talking about is Medieval memes like Smona said. 12:10.37 Cpt Granarius I mean I've seen I've seen Snail memes but out of illuminated manuscript snails. 12:17.80 archpodnet Okay I will find these snail memes. Okay, this will be a challenge I will readily accept. Okay, right. 12:24.94 Cpt Granarius There you go listeners have you got any snail memes send them our way we really need them. Apparently. 12:34.95 Alex I mean I Guess if if we want to like actually think it through you know snails would snails are just things you you you would commonly see on things. So Maybe you were just like I don't know. Like if you were if I was a monk and I was like okay you got to like draw our stuff and you know draw what you see and I was just seeing snails all the time because they are kind of like everywhere depending on where you are and they just get really good at during it. 13:01.69 Cpt Granarius But the only but the only thing that snails are going to ride into battle against is your cabbage realistically. 13:11.80 Alex Well I mean I guess you're right? What if you get bored and you start just imagining things like I don't know Snail going into battle with a little lance or something I get it. 13:27.62 Cpt Granarius They go. That's my ah, unprofessional hot Take Monk got bored draws Snail catches on becomes a bit of a meme I Guess Memos or something Latin sounding make it a bit more high medieval. 13:28.99 Alex Oh like we. 13:42.74 Alex But I mean yeah, you know there were these weird ones and obviously we will be covering some of the weird ones in this episode but there is also there are some that are you know, actually not that far off and obviously there was also creatures that were actually seen. Every day so they're not as ridiculous as some of the you know animals from the afgan Continent. So I Guess Really what a lot of these animals tend to look like is like either a person with four legs or like. A variation of a dog or horse. 14:24.00 Cpt Granarius Of maybe they were just trolling could be even like much much later on I think we've discussed on the show before I think the seventeenth eighteenth century depiction of cows as just rectangles with legs. 14:26.84 Alex Wow He goes. Okay. 14:43.37 Cpt Granarius That's much later you're you're just strolling. 14:44.99 Alex I Guess yeah I mean we do talk about this a lot on the show of like we you know we always have these really interesting complex interpretations for things that we find in archeological record but there's also always the slight chance that sometimes it's just like. Someone just thought it was cool or someone was bored and you know there's always a really good chance that happening because you know think about your own lives and the things you do out of boredom or because you think it's cool. So yeah. 15:14.23 Cpt Granarius Which literally someone having a laugh I'm gonna draw this creature from my imagination and see how many people believe it. 15:21.25 Alex Just 1 guy who's just really into snails and he's like guess what? That's my thing now and that's gonna be everyone else's thing moving forward. It's pretty impressive anyway. So yeah, these are the sort of creatures that were illustrated in these. Maps and bestiaries there range from pretty odd points to as Simona said rectangles with legs or even stranger and weirder and again they also kind of range from the mundane to the fantastic. 15:49.94 Cpt Granarius 3 15:58.78 Alex Goal. So what I've done for this episode is we'll go through some examples and we'll talk about some examples of beast jerryries and maps as well. But I've also added links Simona I'm sure you can see that to. Different examples of these very interesting creatures and I thought it might be interesting to just try and explain to the listening audience what we're looking at. 16:28.94 Cpt Granarius Yes I must admit I have not opened them because I find the surprise is always best. 16:34.83 Alex So we'll be hearing I mean I've seen them. But it's it's been a while. So actually I'll be kind of reacting similarly so you'll hear our first reactions to a lot of these on air and. Whether or not we could do this without completely losing our minds Allah Simona finding out that pokemon come from eggs I'm not hundred percent sure but we shall see. 16:58.61 Cpt Granarius Um, you're also forgetting Simone reacts to star wars creatures. 17:04.21 Alex Ah, yes, of course this that we've really kind of tested the bounds of your sanity on this show Huh I don't mean to but it's kind of funny to be honest. 17:07.84 Cpt Granarius I. 17:15.86 Alex And I guess special shout out to the british library the aforementioned jp Morgan library and the harrowford cathedral for making so many medieval texts available online which is amazing. We'll probably put some links to it in the show notes. And also the british library has some really gorgeous animations of some of the illustrations on youtube i. Highly recommend them. It's just really nice that it's really readily available to see online. So thanks for that. Especially as we said a lot of these ah texts are extremely fragile. So it's pretty. Great to see them digitized in some way. So I I think we'll we'll prepare ourselves mentally physically emotionally spiritually and we'll take a break and when we come back. 17:55.19 Cpt Granarius Oh and on this note. 18:09.99 Alex We'll ah we'll start looking at some weird weirdos I guess.